This invention relates to improved methods and apparatus for accessing and driving traffic to web sites.
Typically in the prior art a user or visitor accesses a web site address by activating a web site browser such as xe2x80x9cInternet Explorerxe2x80x9d (TRADEMARKED) or xe2x80x9cNetscapexe2x80x9d (TRADEMARKED) and then entering a web site address on an address line. This is inconvenient in that it requires several steps and requires the user to remember what often may be a difficult to remember, or difficult to spell, web site address.
It is known to place an icon onto a desktop or Start Menu for the purpose of accessing desktop applications such as Microsoft Word (TRADEMARKED) and Quicken (TRADEMARKED). These icons link to executable programs for the desktop applications.
The present invention in one or more embodiments provides a method and apparatus for accessing a web site quickly. Part of the computer software for implementing the present invention will be called xe2x80x9cSee You Again Shortcut(trademark)xe2x80x9d software in this application. This software can be purchased by a vendor having a vendor web site. The vendor can run the xe2x80x9cSee You Again Shortcut(trademark)xe2x80x9d software on a vendor processor, edit parameters, upload the xe2x80x9cSee You Again Shortcut(trademark)xe2x80x9d software to a vendor web site server processor, and activate the xe2x80x9cSee You Again Shortcut(trademark)xe2x80x9d software on the vendor web site server processor.
The xe2x80x9cSee You Again Shortcut(trademark)xe2x80x9d software gives visitors to the vendor""s web site, the ability to create a shortcut link on the visitor""s desktop menu or start menu or some other menu on the visitor""s display to access the vendor""s web site. The shortcut link may have an icon associated with it and may appear on the visitor""s display.
The shortcut link that appears on the visitor""s Desktop display may be placed on the visitor""s display as a .ICO file which is the file format for a xe2x80x9cWindowsxe2x80x9d (TRADEMARKED) icon. The xe2x80x9cWindowsxe2x80x9d (TRADEMARKED) operating system running on the visitor processor will automatically display the .ICO file on the desktop.
A graphic button (e.g. xe2x80x9cAdd Shortcuts to Usxe2x80x9d) or any kind of link is typically included on a vendor""s web page at which point the visitor could click on it to initiate the shortcut creation process.
The shortcut link may be a logo or trademark of the vendor. The shortcut link may appear on the desktop display, start menu display, favorites menu display, or in any other manner on the visitor""s display. Selecting the shortcut link on the visitor display will cause a web page of the vendor""s web site to appear on the visitor""s display. The shortcut link may appear in the Windows QuickLaunch (TRADEMARKED) display of the visitor""s display as well.
The present invention in one embodiment includes a method comprising the step of placing a first link on a vendor""s web site page of a vendor""s web site. The first link can be a graphic button. The method may also include causing a second link which can also be called the shortcut link to be placed on a visitor display in response to an add shortcut process started by the selection of the first link on the vendor""s web site page by a visitor to the vendor""s web site page. The selection of the second link or shortcut link on the visitor display, such as with a computer mouse, may cause a vendor""s web site page of the vendor""s web site to be displayed on the visitor display.
The selection of the shortcut link on the visitor display may cause a coupon code, a username and a password, or affiliate identification data to be transferred to a vendor web site server processor. The add shortcut process may include granting privileges to allow the xe2x80x9cSee You Again Shortcut(trademark)xe2x80x9d software program to make changes to computer software running on the visitor""s processor. The add shortcut process may include displaying a first pop up screen on the visitor display in response to selection of the first link on the vendor web site web page.
See You Again Shortcut(trademark) computer software provides the facility to create a single shortcut link or multiple shortcut links (theoretically to infinity) onto a visitor""s computer processor in a single initialization of the software on both the vendor""s processor and the visitor""s processor. See You Again Shortcut(trademark) software is a shortcut software program which creates a shortcut file on a visitor""s processor. This shortcut file is comprised of software code to load the specified web site as well as an icon in the .ico file format.
The following is a high level overview of various aspects of the present invention in one or more embodiments:
1. See You Again Shortcut(trademark) software is software which is downloaded onto a visitor""s processor.
2. See You Again Shortcut(trademark) software typically automatically runs.
3. The xe2x80x9cShortcut iconxe2x80x9d is downloaded and typically stored on a visitor""s hard drive (where hard drive is part of memory of the visitor processor)
4. The xe2x80x9cShortcut filexe2x80x9d is written to visitor""s hard drive.
5. The xe2x80x9cShortcutxe2x80x9d appears, typically, on the Windows Desktop display on the visitor display which causes an icon to be stored in RAM (part of visitor memory) (as this is necessary to consistently display the icon) on the Windows Desktop.